F1 2013 – Jenson button: Updates won’t bring the nine tenths we need

Jenson Button says the updates McLaren will be bringing to their car will not be enough to bridge the gap to the front runners but hopes it will be the first steps in achieving that goal.

Speaking to Press Association Sport Button is quoted as saying “Barcelona is always important, and for us it needs to be a good step forward – not massive, but in the right direction.”

“If we can keep building on the package, and if it is in the right direction, it does work and gives us a few tenths then that would be great.

“I know what’s coming and I don’t think it’s going to give us the nine tenths of a second we need. But as long as it does what it’s supposed to do then we can start developing with that package.”

“But if you think you are bringing a certain amount of lap time to a circuit and it doesn’t work, then you have to look at the reasons why it’s not working. That’s a bigger issue.”

“If we get what we think we’ll get in Barcelona, then that will be a positive and we can move from there. But I’m not ruling out anything (with regard to the title) just yet.”

“It has hurt us a lot, especially at the first race and it might still do that. But the idea was always to develop a car through to the end of the season, and we felt at the end of last year we were at the end of everything we could do with it.

“The one thing that surprised us is that nobody else went down the same route. We’re the only team to have done it.

“We expected all of the top teams to do the same thing so we didn’t think we would lose anything at the first race.

“So that’s what has hurt us, costing us a lot of points, but the Championship is still completely open. If we can turn it around in a few races and be fighting at the front, then that is very encouraging for the rest of the season.”